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Q&A: Jonathan Ross

The king of chat on his TV likes and dislikes – and his dream talk-show guests

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8:00 AM, 03 September 2011

You’re cast adrift on a desert island – which TV series would you take for company?

I can’t possibly choose just one, but over the years I’ve found it impossible to miss 24, The West Wing, Doctor Who, Glee, Sex and the City, Dollhouse and, maybe just to remind me what it was like to live indoors, Changing Rooms.

What’s your guilty TV pleasure?

Reality TV in general. I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, Celebrity Big Brother, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, The Glee Project and Antiques Roadshow.

Who’s the last person you changed the channel to avoid?

Piers Morgan.

How many televisions do you have in your house (or houses)?

Loads. But the kids watch a lot on their computers... It’s all changing.

Who would be your ideal dinner guest?

Steve Ditko, the very private but immensely talented comic-book artist who co-created Spider-Man.

Who was your first TV crush?

Possibly Cilla Black. Or Starsky and Hutch. I was confused.

You must have met hundreds of TV personalities – is there anyone you’ve met who has surprised you?

Louis Spence. But it was a nice surprise.

What’s your favourite Saturday-night show, Strictly or X Factor?

X Factor. Strictly is a little twee...

When did you last shout at the radio or TV?

I don’t think I do. Let me check with my wife Jane... Oh yes, during some of the ill-informed tripe being churned out by the news during the riots. I hate lazy thinking.

What or who do you wake up to?

My lovely and kind wife. And one of our dogs, Sweeney, who gets to share our bed. Lucky fella.

What film do you go back to time and again?

It’s a Wonderful Life, Mulholland Drive, Spirited Away, As Good as It Gets, Gypsy and the last Rambo film.

What was the last thing you bought on the internet?

Some DVDs for my daughter now she’s moved into a new flat at university. Mainly classic musicals.

What have you been doing with yourself since you finished at the BBC?

Writing comics, stroking dogs, watching French and Korean movies, filming for Cinémoi (the French movie channel I’m involved with), travelling, having business meetings, growing and then shaving and then regrowing facial hair, eating biscuits then going on diets, hugging my children and snuggling with my wife. And daydreaming.

Who’s on your wish list for The Jonathan Ross Show?

Most of them have said yes! I would like Robert De Niro, though – he was booked for the BBC series then they suspended the show. I had lunch with him instead! Also, Jack Nicholson. And Prince Charles and Camilla!

Do you ever get starstruck?

Yes, a little. But not too often and I recover quickly.

Do you still tweet? Who do you follow?

Yes, I tweet and I like it. I follow just about anyone who asks me nicely, and lots of friends and family. I am @wossy.